Changing the world one smile at a time
Nuevas Sonrisas: Prevention is the key for classroom education and parent education
When the mobile prevention team visits the schools, all classes in preschool and grades 3-6 who don’t attend the clinic receive an application of fluoride from US volunteers working together with health workers from the Health Department in Catocha. Midyear, the Guatemalan health workers return to the schools to apply a second application of fluoride to all the students.
Other volunteers on the mobile team visit the classes to provide a lesson on toothbrushing, maintaining dental health and healthy eating habits to the students. Health workers or “salubristas” from the Health Department help provide these lessons, encouraging the students to participate in the correct method of toothbrushing with a giant puppet, while they also learn about what causes cavities and how fluoride and sealants protect teeth, among other dental health concepts.
In addition our parent educators offer information regarding dental health in engaging sessions to the many parents coming to the schools and the clinic.
Our priority is prevention and nothing beats regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste as the least expensive, easiest and most effective measure kids can practice. Our Guatemalan liason in Catocha has successfully set up a Dental Day program once a month during the school year in all the schools that involves the principals, teachers, students and their parents. Each month has a different theme, going into more detail and tied to the classroom and parent dental health program: healthy foods, what causes cavities, what is gingivitus, how sealants and fluoride protect teeth, and much more.
We had a classroom toothbrushing program to our prevention program in 2019, but due to COVID, we have had to suspend that program.